Light duty trucks known as pickup trucks that include a passenger compartment and a rear compartment that includes a cargo area within a deck are widely used both by consumers and by businesses in a multitude of consumer and commercial applications because of their versatility to provide simultaneous transportation of passengers in the passenger compartment and transportation of a cargo in the rear compartment. The cargo transported can include all manner of materials, equipment, tools and the like, including various combinations of these items.
The movement of the vehicle while transporting the cargo and the actuation of the vehicle suspension result in complex horizontal and vertical dynamic forces acting on the cargo that can cause it to shift, slide, tip, or otherwise change position within the cargo area.
Various apparatuses and methods have been employed to secure cargo within the cargo area, but these generally have been unable to produce a consistent significant downward or clamping force sufficient to secure the cargo to the floor of the deck and prevent its movement as described herein.
Therefore, it is very desirable to provide a device that is configured to tie-down and secure the cargo to the deck of the rear compartment of a truck, as well as to provide a rear compartment and/or truck that incorporates such a device.